The City of Chestermere completed the Social Needs Assessment and is beginning work to ensure the needs of residents in the community are met.
A Social Needs Assessment is generally completed when there is a significant change in a community, such as an increase in population, or when a Social Needs Assessment has not been completed for several years.
“We needed a fuller community scan as to what the needs of the community are currently at, and then have a more comprehensive assessment done in comparison to the social profile that was done in 2017,” said the Project Manager of Community Support Services, Danielle Fermin.
The Social Needs Assessment looked at economic trends, development trends, cultural trends, and changes that are occurring within the community, while the social profile conducted in 2017 assessed what’s happening at a neighbourhood level.
The Social Needs Assessment had multiple components. Firstly, the Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) reviewed other assessments completed, including economic, and recreational feasibility.
The team then reviewed the documents that were already existing such as community and health data and had two community engagement sessions in February.
“For March, we intended for a full month community online survey, but with the pandemic, we mostly had responses in the first two weeks before COVID-19 really took more precedence and importance,” Fermin said.
Initially, the FCSS team had planned to also have design labs, which would dig deep into the issues that were identified through the survey and open houses.
“Municipalities typically need Social Needs Assessments to help inform decisions that they are making,” Fermin said.
“One of the driving forces for us was updating our Social Investment Framework, which determines how we use our FCSS funding and United Way funding to target social issues that are presenting in the community,” she said.
“It really allows for us to think more long-term, versus just a one-year or two-year outlook,” she added. “We’re hoping to achieve long-term outcomes and improve the community’s social well-being, and for our community partners it allows them to strengthen funding proposals and applications.”
Through current community data, local not-for-profit and charitable organizations are able to maintain funding, while remaining competitive.
“It helps with our planning and infrastructure division in the city. We’ve also been able to help inform recreation plans, and age-friendly strategies that are being developed,” Fermin said.
“There were some recommendations that were quite tangible for recovery and response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.
The Social Needs Assessment identified that residents are looking for more prevention services to support social cohesion in the community.
“How can we as program developers, designers, and service providers create better systems and social supports so that the community population, who are not able to access services typically, due to systemic barriers have more resilience to adverse situations,” Fermin said.
The Social Needs Assessment also identified aging in place as a significant area of focus. The FCSS is now working on how to support Chestermere in regards to housing, community social supports, and health for the increasing 65 plus years demographic.
“In the years to come, that will become our larger demographic, we’re going to be switching from a family-centric community to more of an older person’s community,” Fermin said.
The Social Needs Assessment also had a system mapping component, which focused on system navigation, and how the FCSS can decrease barriers for residents to access services.
“Mental health was another large one. We’re in the very early stages of what that looks like. We’ve had findings from the community to make sure there are enough supports in place for mental health, especially for youth in the community,” Fermin said.
“Now with COVID-19, there is a greater need for mental health supports across all ages and spectrums, and it will be ramping up again with back to school,” she said.
Moving forward, the FCSS will be working more collaboratively, and interdepartmentally by having a social lens in planning and development, recreation, and diversity and inclusion strategies.
“We already had a social lens, but more intentional, and working with our community partners at a well-being approach and supporting our residents,” Fermin said.
Without the support of the community, the Social Needs Assessment wouldn’t have been possible.
“Although our community engagement sessions were closed early due to the pandemic. We are appreciative of community partners and residents who participated in informing our project,” Fermin said.
“We will be reaching out to our residents again,” she added.
